A rare local in a league of foreign elements, Steve McClaren is one of English football's most highly-rated young coaches.

And the York-born Middlesbrough manager is never happier than when donning his tracksuit, taking to the training field and mucking in with the players.

Eight months since taking the biggest step of his career however, McClaren admits it is by taking a back seat from the job that made him that he has learned most about the one that faces him.

The 40-year-old relinquished the relative comfort of assisting Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United last summer to step into the high-pressure firing line of managing a club himself.

And he believes the step back, as much as the step up, has made him a better boss . . .

"Taking a step away has allowed me to see more," said McClaren. "I've learned a lot this season from observing, more than I would have by being fully-involved on the training field.

"I learned that from Sir Alex and then Sven-Goran Eriksson. When I joined up with England I thought I'd be there putting the cones out, sitting back and watching them get on with it.

"But it's the complete opposite. Sven observes and I take the players for training.

"When you're a No 2 you still have that link with the players - although you're not buddy-buddy, you are close. You have to be, but now I've had to detach myself.

"I'm still close to the team but you have to create and maintain some distance so that the decisions you make are not influenced."

And the reason for that is that McClaren believes decisions, millions every day, are the most crucial factor in his job - and contribute in varying degrees to the difference between success and failure.

"It's getting harder and harder to come up with new and original ideas because tactics have changed so much over the years already," he said.

"But the changes you make, especially the substitutions, are vital now - that's why I'd like to see more choice, to be able to still make three but from more than five. Every decision, no matter how big or small, is vital.

"We all make mistakes and you have to accept that. What upsets me is the things I can control but don't. I can't control players' errors or referees but I can control what the Americans call the `fundamentals'.

Cutting such sloppiness from Boro's game has resulted in a vastly-improved defensive record of late, with just 10 goals conceded in the 16 games since the turn of the year and before yesterday's visit to Old Trafford.

Compare that with the opening 16 matches of the season, during which Boro shipped 23 goals and looked set for yet another last-ditch relegation dogfight.

An eight-game unbeaten run in the midst of a 16-match spell soured only by three defeats has all but dispersed talk of the R-word at the Riverside.

But with Boro looking good for another season in the Premiership, McClaren knows that is only the start of the job at hand.

"Things are never as good as you want them to be and there's a long way to go, but we have improved," said McClaren.

"We needed to reduce the wage bill because we had 54 professionals on the books and that's too many. To bring players in we need to raise some money by selling players. It's not the same as it was at Manchester United.

"I have to look at what level Middlesbrough Football Club is pitched at and look across to see which players that puts us on a par with. We can't get someone above our level unless we pay him an absolute fortune.

"That's why it was so important attracting Gareth Southgate here, it's a stepping stone to the next level. The first priority now is to avoid relegation and I think 42 points should be enough - that's our first target.

"Then there's the FA Cup and, while that's been pushed to the back of our minds for the time being, along the way I want us to try and keep playing like we did against Liverpool last week.

"People have said `How did you play like that?' but we've been trying to set our stall out like that from the very beginning.

"So why has it started to come together now? I haven't got a clue, it just happened!"